FRANCHISE SELLING TIP: # 8

SELLING THE CONCEPT OF "PARTNERING"

Have you noticed how "big business" is partnering in the 1990's? IBM has lots of "partners", Ford has Mazda, GM has Toyota, and Chrysler has Mitsubishi. In this sense, it is an alliance of assets, strengths and resources that made the partnership viable and potentially profitable for both parties. When you take on a new candidate and future Jantize Area Developer franchise owner, aren't you really setting up a partnership? Doesn't it make a lot of sense to really stress this as the emotional basis of the relationship and partnerships?

SUCCESSFUL "PARTNERING" SELLING

Selling the concept of a "partnership type" relationship requires a finely honed balance of skills usually regarded as "consultative selling" techniques. Here are a few of the basics necessary:

1. KNOWLEDGE: Not just of our franchise, but of all the concept of an area developer or master franchisor. Do your homework, there's a lot to learn. Learn the good points about the opportunity.

2. CARING: The easiest way into your candidates brain is through his or her heart. You've got to get out of your own shoes and into theirs, and genuinely care about their needs. The franchise buying process goes through three stages: First the heart, then the brain, then the heart. Then it's done.

3. SHARING: Have you ever dealt with a candidate in the past that felt the same way this one does now? Share that information with the prospect...use "feel, felt, found" situations from the past that relate to your current prospect. When you "share" information about your franchise, do it in terms of benefits...people don't buy features, they buy "what it will do for them".

4. ASKING QUESTIONS: When you ask questions, ask about needs, wants, desires, goals, and expectations. Ask the prospect to explain further. If you ever get an objection, the first thing to do is ask a question "Can you tell me a little more why this is a concern?", "Can you explain that question a little further?" "Can you be a little clearer on that?" "Can you tell me why you asked that question?" Questioning does three things: It shows you're listening, it shows you care about the candidate, and questioning always keeps you in control. And being in control is vital.

5. LISTENING: You have two ears, and only one mouth. Spend at least twice as much time listening as you do talking. And when you talk, ask questions to uncover needs.

Now go sell a franchise please!

FRANCHISE SELLING TIP: #7 The 1st 30 Seconds

THE APPROACH:
THE FIRST 30 SECONDS ARE CRUCIAL
As you know, there are three "basic" steps in selling: The Approach, The Demonstration, and The Close. All three are involved, calculated, and must be planned out prior to making or taking a call from a prospective franchise candidate. "Closing" certainly isn't the last thing you do, as you are always "closing" if you're good and highly skilled. But the "Approach" must always be first, and is the most important step of the three. Blow it, and you'll never get to the other steps.

The first 30 seconds are critically important. The best way to make them count is to involve the prospect and arouse his or her curiosity. When you do this, you have equalized your prospect's mind.
What do I mean by this?
Obviously, not everyone you speak to regarding our Jantize Area Developer franchise opportunity is going to be a lay-down sale, which means they are coming to the table with either a little or a whole lot of stuff in their head about why they are not interested in what you have to say.
Here's a great way to equalize them: "Hi, Bill, this is John Smith and I'm calling you about JANTIZE Area Developer Franchise . Have you heard about the remarkable things that are happening within our franchised network?"

What happens when you do this? Several exciting things: You've (1) Gained immediate control through the asking of a question; (2) Caused the prospect to think about what you asked, thus diffusing his or her natural and immediate [negative, defensive, etc.] feelings toward your call; (3) Aroused a sincere curiosity; (4) Involved the prospect by requiring their participation by saying "What do you mean?".

WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT? DON'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. Proceed with something like: " In a moment, I'll tell you a little about those remarkable things, but first may I ask you a question?" Again, you've stayed in control with another question, and may now begin to uncover needs.
Ask a couple of minor open-ended questions such as "When you think about going into business for yourself, Bill, what are your most important considerations?", or " If the perfect business existed for you, what would it be like?"

While the "Big 3" in sales is always Approach-Demonstrate-Close, remember the Approach is the critical first step. To get to Step 2, you'd better involve your candidate by arousing their curiosity and neutralizing any prejudices they may have about our opportunity.

Tks

The first 30 seconds! Tip #7

FRANCHISE SELLING TIPS: #7

THE APPROACH:
THE FIRST 30 SECONDS ARE CRUCIAL
As you know, there are three "basic" steps in selling: The Approach, The Demonstration, and The Close. All three are involved, calculated, and must be planned out prior to making or taking a call from a prospective franchise candidate. "Closing" certainly isn't the last thing you do, as you are always "closing" if you're good and highly skilled. But the "Approach" must always be first, and is the most important step of the three. Blow it, and you'll never get to the other steps.

The first 30 seconds are critically important. The best way to make them count is to involve the candidate and arouse his curiosity. When you do this, you have equalized your candidate's mind.
What do we mean by this? Obviously, not everyone you speak to regarding our franchise opportunity is going to be a lay-down sale, which means they are coming to the table with either a little or a whole lot of info in their head about why they are not interested in what you have to say.
Here's a great way to equalize them: "Hi, Bill, this is John Smith and I'm calling you from JANTIZE America Franchise . Have you heard about the remarkable things that are happening within our franchised network?"

What happens when you do this? Several exciting things: You've (1) Gained immediate control through the asking of a question; (2) Caused the prospect to think about what you asked, thus diffusing his or her natural and immediate [negative, defensive, etc.] feelings toward your call; (3) Aroused a sincere curiosity; (4) Involved the prospect by requiring their participation by saying "What do you mean?".

WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?
DON'T ANSWER THE QUESTION. Proceed with something like: " In a moment, I'll tell you a little about those remarkable things, but first may I ask you a question?"
Again, you've stayed in control with another question, and may now begin to uncover needs. Ask a couple of minor open-ended questions such as
"When you think about going into business for yourself, Bill,

What are your most important considerations? or
If the perfect business existed for you, what would it be like?

While the "Big 3" in sales is always Approach-Demonstrate-Close, remember the Approach is the critical first step.
To get to Step 2, you'd better involve your candidate by arousing their curiosity and neutralizing any prejudices they may have.

No go sell something!

FRANCHISE SELLING TIP: #6 The R.S.Q.

FRANCHISE SELLING TIPS: #14


WHEN THEY SAY "NO"IT'S ALWAYS A FUNCTION OF PRICE

It's true. Viable candidates will either not have enough money for your particular franchise opportunity, or won't want to give it to you because they perceive the value of what you have is not high enough in their mind to justify your "price". It's always the money - based on perception of value.

With that in mind, you've got to do one of two things: Lower your price, or increase your value. Since franchisors seldom run "sales", here's what you need to do to increase perceived value

FOCUS ON R.S.Q.

Rapport: Truly the backbone of consultative and relationship based selling techniques. The more your candidate trusts and begins to like you, the better chance you have. When they begin to trust you, YOU are the value added that increases perceived value.

Service: "What are you going to do for me after I buy" is the single most important question in a candidate's mind prior to making a decision. Effectively "selling" the quality of your on-going service, training, and support is a tremendous value builder. Plug your prospects into your "service" department early in the cycle. Demonstrate the support!

Quality: How well you show, explain, or validate how the quality of your product or service exceeds your candidate's expectations is vital. It isn't just important that you have advantages over the competition...how well will it exceed what your candidate needs it to do? Under promise and over deliver.

ALL PROSPECTIVE FRANCHISEES LISTEN TO THE SAME RADIO STATION: WIFM: AKA
(What's in it For Me.)

False VS Real Objections Tip #5

FALSE VERSUS REAL OBJECTIONS

When "selling" franchises, you will constantly be encountering false and real objections. If you give up with the first "false" one you receive from a prospect, you are not only possibly losing a great franchisee for your company, you are doing your prospect a great injustice....

Why? Because we are all basically procrastinators at heart, we are most comfortable not making decisions of any kind. It is easier to not choose...even between easy alternatives. In your sales process (despite what you may have been taught), your role is not just to cleverly overcome all the objections you receive, but rather get the sale done!

The prospect may NOT even be aware of "why" he/she is resisting you. One thing is for certain though: If you do not use a lot of care when dealing with the objections, the prospect may resent your every effort...even though they may be interested in what you have to offer. When dealing with almost any objection, what the prospect is really saying is: "Give me some good reasons why we should go further, and I will".

FALSE OBJECTIONS: In this category fall all objections that just don't make any sense whatsoever, such as (1) " I'm not interested ", (2) " I need to think it over ", (3)" I'm not ready to do anything at this time ". Until you deal effectively with these non-reasons, most prospects will continually reel off an unending list of them. Lets deal with them individually, with an appropriate response, but preface all of them with "I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL" (1) "Let me ask you, Mr. Prospect, exactly what is it about our business that you are not interested in? (2) "Tell me, Mr. Prospect, what is it that you will be considering while you are thinking about it?", (3) " Could you give me an idea of what may be happening between now and then that would allow you to proceed?" The preceding three non-issues are heard every day, and unless you deal with them effectively you will never get to the REAL issues. Too many franchise sales people knuckle under, fold their tent, and pack their bags with the slightest resistance. IF YOU DO THIS, YOU ARE LOSING HALF YOUR SALES.

REAL OBJECTIONS: The REAL objections are the ones that you get after you deal with those above. USUALLY, there are only three really valid classes of objections:

1) Issues regarding the credibility and viability of your company;
2) Issues regarding the prospect's mental and physical ability to do the
work required by the particular franchise;
3) Issues regarding the prospect's ability to adequately finance the
venture including your franchise fee, start-up capital, and carrying
funds until positive cash flow occurs.


IF A PROSPECT WANTS A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, CAN AFFORD IT, AND YOUR BUSINESS WILL FILL HIS/HER NECESSARY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND FINANCIAL NEEDS, YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO THAT PROSPECT. YOUR OBLIGATION IS TO PROVIDE ENOUGH INFORMATION SO THEY CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. TO DO THAT, YOU MUST CONSTANTLY IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS AT ASKING ONE VERY SIMPLE QUESTION "WHY?" UNTIL YOU LEARN TO DO THAT, YOU LOSE AND YOUR PROSPECT LOSES!

REMEMBER: FRANCHISE SALES IS NOT A GAME, A ROLE, OR MANIPULATION TECHNIQUES. IT IS THE SINCERE DESIRE OF A SALES PROFESSIONAL TO HELP PROSPECTS SOLVE THEIR CONCERNS.

TESTING THE OBJECTIONS "Lets Imagine Tip #4

FRANCHISE SELLING TIPS: # 4

What are objections, anyway? Are they statements that prospective buyers of our franchise make to indicate that they are really not interested in your opportunity? Probably not. Pure and simple, objections are questions regarding our program that the prospect needs clarified before he or she can be comfortable in making a positive buying decision.

"Let's Imagine" is a great way to determine whether this objection is real or not. Are you aware that oftentimes the prospective buyer of any franchise doesn't even know what his/her real objection is? So, along with our finding out what is at the heart of the matter, "let's imagine" will often help our prospective franchisee sort through their agenda to determine the true problems with which they are struggling.

In the first place, don't jump all over your prospect when you hear an objection. Sometimes in the franchise sales business we hear so many of them we may develop a defensive tendency... be careful. Listen to them, and acknowledge what you heard them say. Then use the following language:
" let's imagine for a minute that I could answer this concern to your complete satisfaction. If I could do that, would you then be ready to have us consider you as a candidate for our franchise?"

At this point, you must be absolutely quiet and let them answer the question; they will either give you a "Yes" or a "No". If they say "Yes", first ask them: "Are you sure?" Then, answer the concern, all the while creating benefits along the way. Have other prospects felt this way? Tell them so. Have you heard this concern before? If "yes", say so. Are you answering it thoroughly? Be prepared for minor clarifications. After dealing with the issue, ask them if they understand what you have said, and if they see now that their concern is laid to rest.

If you get a "No", then you have to find out what other concerns are blocking your path. How do you find out? Ask them, and go through the same process as outlined above. You have to be the President of the Anti-Procrastinator's Club in franchise sales, because most people like to put off making the simplest decisions.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Have you "catalogued" every objection you get? If not, you should do so right away. Script every response as well. Off every response, you should also script your "clarifications", as well as how you are going to deal with further questions that may be posed. Use a WINDOWS approach in your thought process. Got an objection? Click on the response!

Now go sell a franchise!

FRANCHISE SELLING TIP: #3

MAKING THE ACT OF SELLING EASIER
As sales representative for about 20 years different industries although the last 15 in franchise sales. I have read a total of about 500 books mostly sales and leadership, however I have not found one book that has as a title "When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Salesman."

Why? It's extremely hard work. If there was a kid's book out there with that title, in 15 or 20 years there would be no salespeople.

However, some of the aspects of "selling" can be made easier, and you can start by saying "What steps must I take to make my job easier?"

SETTING INTERMEDIATE GOALS
In franchise sales, if you want to be more successful, you must at first define the various activities in which you engage that make you successful. Once defined, set up intermediate goals. Since everything starts with prospective franchisee contacts, set a new weekly goal of 30 more contacts. Break down this weekly goal into 5 daily goals of 6 calls, and further break it down to 3 more each morning and each afternoon. Once in this form, it is easily accomplished.

CHANGING THE PURPOSE OF THE CONTACT
If you're getting blown away quickly and often by prospects for whatever reason, change the tactics. Call to set up an appointment to call back. Ask for permission to send some introductory materials-even if it's just a letter of introduction. Call back everyone who told you "no" in the past 90 days to find out why they weren't interested in our franchise opportunity Jantize America Area Developer Franchise. Do a survey of interested but hesitant prospects to find out why they are procrastinating. (You can gather extremely valuable information in the guise of research...)

DEVELOP A ZERO-TOLERANCE FOR FAILURE
It is reported that when Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest, he was only able to do so because he set goals of "x" number of realistic feet per day that he thoroughly believed he could accomplish. Thinking about successfully selling 15 to 50 new franchises per year is like climbing a 29,000 foot mountain. But, who could not handle 3 more calls per half day...Go one foot at a time.

GREAT QUOTE FROM HENRY FORD: " Whether you think you can, or think you can't- you're right."

Franchise Sales Tip #2 Who's Hot & Whos Not

“HOW TO TELL WHO'S HOT/ WHO'S NOT”

If you are working with a lot of potential franchise buyers, it can sometimes be difficult to determine "who's hot and who's not". A gut level feeling will usually point you to the hottest of the buyers, but how can you selectively and objectively determine how to rank all of them so you apportion your time properly? Do you rank your prospects "A", "B", "C"? 1-10? Based on what criteria? How many different aspects? How do you weight the various factors?

You might want to consider using the "R.I.P." Method of ranking prospects. As you will see, "R.I.P." is an acronym that can have a double meaning.

There are only four important factors that you need to consider when dealing with each individual franchise prospect: (1) Timing, (2) Decision making ability, (3) Money, and (4) Interest level in our Jantize America Master Franchise. These are the only factors going through your prospect's mind; as a Jantize America Franchise Sales Counselor, you need to measure accurately where your prospect stands with these issues.

1) TIMING has to do with "when your prospect anticipates going into business", and a 'right away' certainly carries more weight than a 'some day'.

2) DECISION MAKING ABILITY is concerned with 'how many people are going to be involved in making the decision'...the more people involved lessens the chance of getting to YES. (If the prospects wife does not know he is looking into buying a franchise he is not qualified.) #1 Question what does your wife think of the franchise?

3) The MONEY issue (the least changeable issue by you) can range from 'have' to 'no-way'. If you’re serious about owning your own business, please fax me your resume and financial statements to see if you’re qualified for the Jantize America Master Franchise. (If they don’t send the financials info they are not qualified)

4) INTEREST LEVEL in Jantize America, while important, is the most easily changed of all four factors. It is your job to sell the concept. So, ask these questions
1) Are you looking for a business in a stable industry with fast growth that will provide you with long term security, and unlimited potential?

2) You would like to be part of a ground floor opportunity that you can believe in and offer a service that will be of great benefit to others?

3) Do you have a desire to be a leader and help others?




While the purpose of "R.I.P." is to help you determine "how and where" you should spend your time, keep in mind that things change in prospect's lives -and rankings can and do change.

What does "R.I.P." stand for? Overall, it means that RANKING IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY.
On the low end of the scale...where prospects receive very low scores, it obviously means: REST IN PEACE. And don’t waste your time!

Franchise sales #1

FRANCHISE SELLING TIPS: #1


SELLING THE CONCEPT OF "PARTNERING"
You noticed how "big business" is partnering in the? IBM has lots of "partners", Ford has Mazda, GM has Toyota, and Chrysler has Mitsubishi. In this sense, it is an alliance of assets, strengths and resources that made the partnership viable and potentially profitable for both parties. When you take on a new franchise owner, aren't you really partnering? Doesn't it make a lot of sense to really stress this as the emotional basis of the relationship?


SUCCESSFUL "PARTNERING" SELLING
Selling the concept of a "partnership type" relationship requires a finely honed balance of skills usually regarded as "consultative selling" techniques. Here are a few of the basics necessary:

1. KNOWLEDGE: Not just of your product, but of all the competition. Who is your competition? It's not just the other franchises in the same type business as yours, but it is nearly all other franchises that your prospect can afford and might like. Do your homework, there's a lot to learn. Learn the good points and the bad points about all of them.

2. CARING: The easiest way into your prospect's brain is through his or her heart. You've got to get out of your own shoes and into theirs, and genuinely care about their needs. The franchise buying process goes through three stages: First the heart, then the brain, then the heart. Then it's done.

3. SHARING: Have you ever dealt with a prospect in the past that felt the same way this one does now? Share that information with the prospect...use "feel, felt, found" situations from the past that relate to your current prospect. When you "share" information about your franchise, do it in terms of benefits...people don't buy features, they buy "what it will do for them".

4. ASKING QUESTIONS: When you ask questions, ask about needs, wants, desires, goals, and expectations. Ask the prospect to explain further. If you ever get an objection, the first thing to do is ask a question "Can you tell me a little more why this is a concern?", "Can you explain that question a little further?" "Can you be a little clearer on that?" "Can you tell me why you asked that question?" Questioning does three things: It shows you're listening, it shows you care about the prospect, and questioning always keeps you in control. And being in control is vital.
5. LISTENING: You have two ears, and only one mouth. Spend at least twice as much time listening as you do talking. And when you talk, ask questions to uncover needs.